


Slip of the Tongue

by dietcokeenthusiast



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 17:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5299223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dietcokeenthusiast/pseuds/dietcokeenthusiast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Piper manages to get an impromptu interview with the sole survivor about her life before the bombs, but ends up getting a little bit too involved in the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slip of the Tongue

“So wait a minute, Blue, you’re telling me before the war, you actually had people whose job it was to argue whether or not someone got punished?” Piper got up from her seat for a moment to throw another log in the fire pit. Ava’s shack wasn’t anything fancy, but at least the fire kept things warm. “You didn’t just have some sleazy jerk of a mayor try to lock you out of your home? Or hire someone to kill you?” Piper asked incredulously.

“Well, people still hired people to kill each other, but it wasn’t an everyday thing,” Ava replied as she wiped off her glasses with the hem of her dress. “But yeah, before anyone accused of something could be punished, you had to convince twelve other people beyond a reasonable doubt that they had done something wrong, that it was the very specific thing they were accused of, and that there were no other factors that might have justified it, like self defence. That’s what I did.” A cocky smirk spread across her face. “I was pretty damn good at it too.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Well, come on then, Blue! Let’s hear all about it. Don’t leave me hanging!” Piper was practically bouncing in her chair with excitement as she pulled her notepad out of her coat pocket. “Vault Dweller gives us a glimpse of just before the bombs! You’ll be the paper’s best recurring feature! We can talk royalties later.”

Ava laughed. “Really, Piper? I’m on the record now?”

“Well when you tease me with a scoop like that, what am I supposed to say? Sorry Diamond City, but the vault dweller’s too modest to give the people what they want! Here’s another letter from Diamond City Taxpayer about how McDonough was right to kick out the ghouls.” Piper waved her arms frantically for emphasis. “Seriously, don’t make publish another letter issue. My brain and my dignity can’t take it.”

Ava cuckled. Even if she wasn’t a sucker for how Piper got so worked up when there was story out there, or how those gorgeous eyes of hers lit up when she was excited, Piper wasn’t a woman who took no for an answer. “All right, you win.”

Piper smirked and kissed her on the cheek. “Always do, dollface.”

Ava felt her face flush. Piper just _had_ to discover how to break down the whole cool, smooth talking, lawyer-turned wasteland radical thing she had going on. She did her best to ignore Piper’s smug smirk. “Well…. okay! So this is way back when I first started practicing and did public defender work. That’s when you have to defend someone accused of doing something wrong, and they can’t actually hire anyone to do it for them,” Ava clarified, noticing Piper’s inquisitive glance.

“Really? You actually had people whose job it was to speak up for people in trouble?”

“Of course. Sometimes the systems gets it wrong, and most people who screw up aren’t bad people. They just screwed up.”

“Wow, Blue. Kinda wish we still knew how to be that understanding. “

Ava nodded, and lit a cigarette. Yet another bad habit she picked up from Piper. “It had its ups and downs, but it’s usually not boring. Like this one case. Right off the bat, he’s a real winner. Hasn’t even said ‘hi’ before he’s on about how he’s surprised ‘my people’ are allowed to be lawyers. Since we started the war and all.”

“Can I… Can I reach through time to punch this guy? In the face?”

Ava laughed, and took a drag. “Appreciate the thought, Pipes. Anyways, the guy’s a real prick, and accused of beating his girlfriend to death with an antique clock. The story was they were fighting, and he was sure she was cheating.” Ava cleared her throat. “Still, everyone needs a defence, and something about the case just stinks, like the fact that the witness seems really, really eager to testify.” She flicked the ashes off the end before taking another puff. “Unless you’re the victim, or knew them, no one’s _that_ eager to testify. The witness also claims to have seen it all from outside; heard a scream, a thud, saw my client leave the apartment.”

“So that pretty much means he did it, right? And you had to defend this guy?” Piper popped her head up from her notepad.

Ava smiled, and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips and pass her the rest of the cigarette. “Here’s the thing. The clock stopped working when it was used to kill the guy’s girlfriend. It stopped at midnight. He said he saw him leave at 11:30. You don’t need eight years of law school to know if the police are missing that, then it’s fucking amateur hour over there. So, still being the fresh-out of school idealist I am, and REALLY wanting to make an impact on the jury, I kick off my heels, stand on the table, and then just start pointing at the cops, the witness, the judge, just going off on the top of my lungs how this was a miscarriage of justice, that the cops should lose their badge, that the judge should be scrubbing toilets, you get the idea.”

Piper started laughing. “Really? You just got up on the table right in the middle of everything? Blue, that’s amazing! Did you get in trouble?”

“Oh yes. They escorted me out of the courtroom, held me in contempt, and told the jury to disregard my statements. It’s really hard to ignore the crazy lady screaming on a table though, especially when she’s right, so he got acquitted, and the judge never liked me since.” Ava flashed a grin. “Only my fourth case, and I was already serving up justice!”

Piper giggled, and smiled softly at Ava. “See, Blue, this is why I love you.”

Ava suddenly stopped, and looked at Piper, who still hadn’t caught on. “Wait, what did you just say, Piper?”

She could see the realization hit Piper like a sack of hammers. “Oh! Um… well, nothing. Just said, um, wow Blue! Good story, I tell you! Yeah. That’s totally what that is. Oh goodness, is this fire a bit too hot? I think I fed it too much.” She was tugging nervously at her scarf, and her face was starting to turn the same shade of red as her jacket.

“Piper, that’s not what you said.” Ava stated softly, but firmly.

“Oh! Well… Hm. It’s just, um, wow this is really going badly.” Piper turned away, and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I know we’ve only been doing the more than friends thing a couple weeks now, that what happened with Nate wasn’t that long ago, and it’s still way too soon, but then I think about how often something tries to kill you, me, or the both of us, and I didn’t want to not say it in case anything happens, and it really is getting hotter in here, isn’t it?” Piper loosened her scarf and pulled her hat down over her eyes as far as it would go. “Sorry. Again.”

Ava was silent, and she reached for Nate’s ring in her pocket. She ran her thumb over the polished metal. Like she was with most things, Piper was right. Things had moved pretty quickly between the two of them, and she still felt guilty about it, like she was betraying him. She still loved Nate, and knew she always would. He was her rock during law school, the father of her child, and her best friend. It’d never be the kind of loss she could just get over.

She looked back to Piper, who was still turned away with her hat pulled low over her eyes. _But Piper…_ For all the ugliness there was in this new world, Piper was anything but. In a place where taking a step in the wrong direction could get you killed, Piper took it as an open challenge. The more the world tried to break her down, the more dedicated she was to do right by the people living there. Even the folks who wanted her dead for trying. Sure, maybe it was a bit “soon”, but the Commonwealth didn’t give a shit about soon. _So why do I?_

“Hey.” Ava spoke softly as she placed a hand on Piper’s shoulder. She didn’t look back up at her. “I love you, too.”

Piper turned back around abruptly, her face still practically glowing from embarrassment. Possibly the radiation a bit, too. “Wait, what?”

“I said I love you, too.” Ava smiled as she draped her arms around Piper’s neck, letting her fingers play with her hair.

“Blue, you don’t have to say it just because I did. I know that-“

Ava held a finger to Piper’s lips. “I’m saying it because I mean it. I know you don’t think so, Piper, but you’re the most perfect thing out here, and for all the shit this place throws at you, all you want is to make it better.” Ava leaned in to kiss Piper, who was more than eager to meet her lips. Piper’s kisses were a lot softer than Ava had ever expected from someone who wore “pushy” like a badge of honor, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. She still tasted sweet from the bubblegum she constantly chewed, and every so often she softly moaned as she pulled Ava back in for more. She was left gasping when Piper pulled away. “That doesn’t hurt, either.”

Piper chuckled, and pulled Ava back down to her, burying her face in her neck. “Goodness, Blue… I don’t know what to say. You’re everything I could ever ask for.”

“The same goes for you, beautiful.” Ava smirked. “So, going to put this in the paper? ‘My Lurid Love Affair With a 200 Year Old Vault Dweller’?”

“That’s not a bad idea. Might need to do a bit more investigation, though.” Ava let out a sharp moan as Piper nipped at that very particular spot where her neck met her jaw. She stiffened as she felt Piper’s warm breath against her neck. “Love you, doll.”

“Love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Threw a bit of a nod in to another fun game in Ava's story! Bonus points if you figure out which one. Hope you enjoy. :)


End file.
